


Bloodflows

by InkStainsOnMyHands



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Death, Falling In Love, M/M, Seduction to the Dark Side, The Dark Side of the Force, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-17 05:59:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13070586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkStainsOnMyHands/pseuds/InkStainsOnMyHands
Summary: "Shane scoffed; the Force, the Jedi, balance, order, none of it made sense to him. It was too difficult to believe that there was some cosmic power responsible for ensuring the stability of the galaxy. He knew better than anyone what a joke that was. The cosmos were a boiling cauldron of chaos, wild and uncontrolled."orShane discovers he has a power that could give him everything he wants, if he'll only let it.





	1. |shotgun poetry|

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! It's been a while. Haven't posted anything new since October. Holy shit! But, _The Last Jedi_ kind of inspired me to write this, so here you go!

For such an insignificant thing, it did cost a hell of a lot of credits. Shane reckoned the small data disk, clutched tightly in Ryan’s grasp, busted  _ Unsolved’s _ budget wide open, not that Ryan seemed to care. No, as his wide grin and greedy eyes would attest to, the show was merely pretense for this prize. 

Shane understood, of course. Ryan was a refugee, a part of an endangered species. Shane could only assume he wanted Alderaan’s destruction to have meant something, or, at the very least, he didn't want to feel as though his survival was wasted. If luck would have him off planet as most of his people were lost to the Empire’s bloodlust, it was so he could inspire the Rebel Alliance with fairytales of the Jedi Knights. (There were already rumors that one existed amongst their midst, but those stories had as much credibility as tales of ghosts.) 

With a sigh, Shane watched as Ryan fitted the data disk neatly into their holorecorder droid, far too impatient to wait to get back to their office to watch the archival footage. Sure enough, a palm-sized, low-quality projection of a man appeared before them, illuminating the dank alleyway cocooned in Coruscant’s underbelly. 

As the man did small feats, such as causing objects to levitate with an outstretched palm, Ryan squealed with delight. “See! I told you they were real.” 

Shane scoffed; the Force, the Jedi, balance, order, none of it made sense to him. It was too difficult to believe that there was some cosmic power responsible for ensuring the stability of the galaxy. He knew better than anyone what a joke that was. The cosmos were a boiling cauldron of chaos, wild and uncontrolled. 

“Yup,” he started, equally flamboyant and flippant. “The Force is totally real. I’m convinced.”    
  
Ryan’s head whipped towards him. The space between his eyebrows narrowed, but the line of his mouth widened over his smiling teeth. “Are you serious right now? How can you -”   
  
_ Thud, thud, thud _ , echoed against the walls. Shane’s sight traveled from Ryan to the opening of the alleyway; his heart stopped and his stomach dropped. Imperial stormtroopers - they were never there when one needed them, especially on the dingy, crime-infested city-planet of Coruscant, but it would be their luck to run into a pair of the white-clad soldiers as they were doing something illegal. 

The holorecorder droid had the presence of mind to stop the projection, but it was already too late.    


“You there!” one of the stormtroopers exclaimed as he pointed his weapon towards Ryan, who had pivoted to face them. “What’re you doing? Let me see some identification.”    
  
Shane stepped forward, using the left side of his body to shield Ryan from the stormtroopers. If they found out where Ryan was from - Shane didn’t want to think about it.    
  
The taller man raised his hands up in a defensive gesture. “Hey guys, no need for the guns, alright? We have media passes, we’re allowed to see this footage,” he explained, clear and steady, as if his resolve could will these stormtroopers to believe him.    
  
Both stormtroopers paused. Shane used that to retrieve his identichip from his leather jacket. “See?” he double-downed as he projected his identification. The word “MEDIA”, displayed in Aurebesh, featured prominently over his face. “This footage is for a show we host about paranormal bullshit. It’s all fake.”    
  


That seemed to placate the stormtroopers, who looked at one another silently. Just as they moved their shoulders to turn away, another stormtrooper stepped around the corner, entering the alleyway.    
  


“What’s going on?” he barked as he approached his comrades.    
  
“I was just explaining that -” Shane was cut off by the butt of a blaster. He was struck so hard, the pain of it knocked him to his knees. Distantly, passed the ringing bells in his ears, Shane could hear Ryan call out his name desperately. 

“They were viewing prohibited footage, sir,” one stormtrooper said, voice placid in tone. “But, they have media passes.”    
  
“And why does that matter?” their leader questioned harshly. Before either of the two could answer their superior, he demanded of Ryan, “Identification, now!”   
  
Shane, normally calm and collected, felt a rush of adrenaline travel through his veins and wash over his muscles. All of his senses came alive in the worst way, making him acutely aware of the danger Ryan was in. He trembled nearly as fiercely as his smaller counterpart did.    
  
But, they were trapped. With no other option, Ryan retrieved his identichip. It flickered on, betraying Ryan as a citizen of Alderaan, essentially labeling the poor man as a rebel spy. 

Shane wanted to scream! Ryan did nothing wrong! He was just a foolhardy boy on a doomed quest! 

In that moment, he hated,  _ hated _ , Bail Organa and Princess Leia for their continued support of the rebel alliance, causing Ryan to be without a home, for causing Ryan to be labeled as a spy. If they could have left everything well enough alone, if they could have just submitted to the Empire, if they could have just allowed the chaos of the universe to rule them, Ryan wouldn’t be on the wrong end of a blaster.    
  
Instead, the lead soldier cried out, “Rebel scum!” as he aimed his weapon towards Ryan’s exposed chest.    
  
Without control, all of the anger, all of the hatred, all of the desperation he had within himself was concentrated on the stormtroopers. “No!” he roared as he jumped to his feet. Within a heartbeat, something,  _ something _ , pushed through his body, pulsing out in a great wave, knocking down the stormtroopers. On instinct, his hands reached out. As though he could physically feel the blasters in his vacinity, he grasped at one, pulling it towards him with feeling alone. The blaster flew to meet his awaiting palms.    
  
Shane gave no time for the stormtroopers to recuperate. One, two, three shots rang out, killing all three of the men before him.    
  
It was only after the smoke cleared from the bodies did Shane realize what he had done, what had exactly transpired. He looked to Ryan, who stared at him with a mixture of awe and disbelief brightening his eyes. The tiniest hint of a smile lifted the corners of his open maw. “Shane, you’re -,” he breathed out.    
  
Shane threw down the blaster and stepped away from it. “I-I-I didn’t know I could do that! What the fuck?”    
  
As his mind reeled from the previous second, astonishment tempered every other feeling. He searched for guilt or shame over murdering three people, but even in the deepest parts of his soul, he felt nothing but a desire for that power again. The power to protect Ryan, to ensure his future, to provide a home for him, that was what he craved. Not absolution, not forgiveness, he wanted for nothing but Ryan’s happiness. And this, whatever the fuck it was, could give it to him. _ If only you give into it _ .    
  
“Shane, Shane,” Ryan squealed as he shook his arm, pulling him from the shadows in his head. “Dude, you’re a fucking Jedi, man. Holy shit! Why didn’t you tell me?”

  
Shane gaped. “I-I’m not - I didn’t know,” he stammered as he stared at his quivering open palm.  _ What had he just done? _   
  
“We have to find more tapes! We have to - We have to get you a teacher or something. Someone has to train you!” Ryan rambled on.    
  
Shane shook his head. He inclined his head towards the corpses crumbled against the opposite wall.“First we gotta get out of here.”    


* * *

  
  
Later, on a ship headed to nowhere, Ryan placed a cool cloth on Shane’s bruised cheek. A dull ache pulsed out beneath his eye. The taller man winced.    
  
Ryan’s expression softened. “You okay, big guy?”    
  
Shane’s hazel eyes flickered over to Ryan’s. Warmth filled his chest, chasing away the cold of deep space. He smiled. “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay.” 


	2. |crack the whip again, make me see|

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shane obtains a kyber crystal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, so, yeah, I'm continuing this.

Out of all of the relics the pair had collected over the months, Shane’s kyber crystal had been the hardest object to acquire. 

 

Data disks and sacred texts had been a challenge, yes. It required finessing their schedule to keep the rest of the crew in the dark as to their extracurricular activities, while also hoarding a section of their budget for such dealings without alerting anyone’s notice. Fortunately, as long as the crew was paid, no one spent too long wondering where Shane and Ryan went after shoots.

 

No, acquiring a kyber crystal was a unique problem. Had it not been for Ryan’s insistence that he create a lightsaber, as all “Jedi” had one, Shane wouldn’t have bothered. He had no need for such a weapon, as he was far from a Jedi; his self-training was simply to hone his unique abilities in the case of an emergency. 

 

Yet, they had landed on Ilum, snuck passed Imperial footholds, and survived the icy conditions of the chagged planet in search for a damned rock.

 

Shane couldn’t deny that there had been at least a small spiritual awakening at “hearing” what might have been the last crystal on Ilum. It sang to him from a small, lonely cave, so insignificant that the Empire probably overlooked it in search for areas with larger deposits. (Shane was still amazed at how an entire planet could be mined of everything it had and still hold itself together.)     
  
Back on the ship, Shane kept a tight hold on the crystal; in his palm, it felt warm, alive .  In the spirit of his discovery, he communed with it, and it seemed to mirror his emotions. It, too, cared deeply for Ryan. It wished to protect the boy, to keep the light within him pure and untainted. Begrudgingly, he was glad he made the journey to retrieve the thing. 

 

* * *

 

That night, Shane closed his eyes and concentrated his focus on the force energy around him. The task was much easier then, than it was when he first started his solo-training. At first, he would feel the empty vastness of nothing his nihilism took comfort in. The more he practiced his meditation, however, the more he was able to perceive the pulsing, shifting,  _ living _ power that lay just beyond his fingertips. It became familiar, so familiar that Shane could simply reach out and -    
  
“Oh! Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” Ryan exclaimed.    
  
Connection broken (rudely), Shane opened his eyes to find Ryan hesitating at the door to their shared cabin. As per usual, the man didn’t know how to wear a shirt, wrapped in nothing but a small binder even though he had long since stopped using the ‘fresher. It added fuel to the small fire of irritation burning in his chest.    
  
Shane sighed. “If you hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t’ve known you were there.”    
  
In spite of the admonishment, Ryan gave a good-natured chuckle. “So, you’re saying I should sneak up on you while you’re meditating?”    
  
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.” 

 

Humor softened the lines around Ryan’s mouth. “Alright, I’ll leave you to it.”    
  
Yet, he didn’t. For several moments, he wavered in and out of the doorway, a wave trapped in a tide. 

 

Once more, Shane sighed. “Come on, spit it out.”    
  
Ryan’s eyes were cast to the durasteel floor casing. The tiniest hint of white teeth peeked from under his upper lip. “Do you...do you think if I touched you while you meditated, I could maybe sorta feel the force through you?” 

 

“Uh,” Shane started, dumbfounded. “If you're asking if I'm a lightning rod for the force -”

 

“- I mean, maybe? Can't know until we try, right?”  

 

Shane pursed his lips. He wasn't exactly sure if what Ryan asked for was at all possible. In his readings, he hadn't learned much about how force-sensitives interacted with those who were not. Could he help Ryan  _ feel _ the force? 

 

As one to never shirk scientific curiosity, he beckoned Ryan to sit before him with a wave of his hand.

 

The younger man hurried over to him with large excited steps before settling directly in front of him. After a heartbeat, Shane naturally found his line of sight hovering right over the top of Ryan's chest covering. Despite how well the garment reshaped the boy's upper body, it couldn't stop tiny swells from making an appearance. A spike of both desire and shame pierced through him, reminding him that the very flesh he craved was the same flesh Ryan would have discarded had he not spent the credits on his Jedi mastery. 

 

Shane no longer wanted to dwell on the guilt. Instead, he took Ryan's hands into his own, grounding himself with their solidity and warmth. Eyes closed, his essence reached out. 

 

With a surprising amount of ease, he was able to feel Ryan's life energy reaching out to him, like heat from a nearby flame. So, on instinct, he did. Furthermore, he entwined it with his own, as if lacing metaphysical fingers with Ryan's. Inspired by his own actions, he led Ryan's “hand” to the force surrounding them. Shane then “dipped” their connection into it. 

 

There was no reaction, much to Shane’s disappointment. 

 

After a brief moment, another idea struck him, born from the ebb and flow of the energy between then. Shane focused on trickling the force from deep within his soul into the connection he made with Ryan. 

 

A sudden gasp erupted from Ryan’s mouth. The startled noise broke Shane's concentration. His hazel eyes fluttered open and he found Ryan staring at him intently; a small cauldron of anxiety began to boil in his belly. 

 

“Ry-?” 

 

“Y-you, um, you, you - when you used the force the first time, it was because you were protecting me…?” The words tumbled unceremoniously from Ryan’s gaping mouth. 

 

Bemused, Shane found himself nodding, though he semi-denied the statement by saying, “Well, it was a self-preservation thing, but, uh, yeah, sure.” 

 

Ryan hung his head. The crux of his hand came to rest upon the bridge of his nose. He used his index finger and thumb to wipe at his eyes. “No, no, you don't get it, I felt it.”

 

“Felt what?” 

 

Ryan peeled his palm away to peer back up at Shane. There was a softness in his chocolate eyes that hadn't been there before. “Love,” he said simply. “I felt love, love from you for me.” 

 

_ Oh no.  _ What had Shane done? Had he revealed too much by combining their essences? In that moment, he felt utterly and completely stupid for not foreseeing the consequences. Of course Ryan would be able to sense the intense emotions Shane had for him!

 

Shane could feel his face fall. “We don't have to make this into a bigger deal than it is, Ryan.” 

 

“But, it is a big deal, I don't think anyone has felt that strongly for me, ever -” 

 

“-Now that cannot be true,” Shane interrupted, light-hearted, but Ryan continued on. 

 

“I'm a nobody, man. Why would you - wow, I mean,” Ryan blathered. “You really feel that strongly for me?” 

 

No longer able to hide behind pretense, Shane nodded. “Yes, I do. You okay with that?” 

 

Ryan’s lips curled into a grin. 

 

* * *

 

Ryan proudly presented the parts necessary to construct a lightsaber to Shane a few days later. It would be the first gift exchanged as a couple.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos validate my existence! :D


End file.
